The Bengal Chamber of Commerce & Industry (BCC&I) is currently involved in a skill development project, “Dual Apprenticeships Create Better and More Equitable Social and Economic Outcomes for Young People” which is spearheaded by University of Glasgow, School of Education and Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta. The objective of the study is to identify the skill gap between the demand in the industry and skilled manpower. It is an India focused study where West Bengal has been selected as one of the sample States. To identify the gap, The Bengal Chamber will be organizing high profile stakeholders’ meeting in Kolkata. The aim of this project is to support more effective implementation of dual apprenticeship in India and Mexico and to strengthen the capacity of project partners to evaluate their apprenticeships in the medium to long term. Dual apprenticeships combine a strong component of school−based education with highly regulated work−based training in integrated learning plans leading to a formal qualification and have proven successful in Germanic countries. The project will analyse the drivers of the adoption and re−contextualization of dual apprenticeships in India and Mexico; it will evaluate their implementation and impact on inequalities of access, learning and labour market outcomes among young people; and it will provide evidence−based policy recommendations to inform current design and implementation of dual apprenticeships.

BCC&I organized this Skill Synergy Programme on both 3rd and 17th December 2021 as stakeholder consultations to understand the demand supply gap and create a bridge between Industry, Government and Academia. The Stakeholder Consultation’s programme was attended by industry players, Academicians, Ministers from State Government, Principal Secretary - Department of Technical Education, Training and Skill Development. The Chamber project team is currently conducting In-depth research to analyze the cause of skill gap and recommend the way forward to address the skill gap.